The 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend at Imola has been nothing short of dramatic for Ferrari, with the iconic team grappling with a technical infringement and a candid admission from their star driver, Lewis Hamilton. As the Scuderia navigates their home race, the spotlight is firmly on their struggles, both on and off the track, with the tifosi holding their breath for a turnaround.

The controversy began during the first practice session (FP1) when Ferrari made an unauthorized adjustment to Charles Leclerc’s car. According to reports, the team altered the tyre pressures on a used set of tyres, a move that breached Formula 1’s stringent technical regulations.

The FIA’s technical delegate, Jo Bauer, promptly flagged the issue, and the stewards handed Ferrari a €5,000 fine for the infraction. While the penalty is relatively minor in financial terms, it casts a shadow over Ferrari’s weekend, raising questions about their operational precision at a circuit where expectations are sky-high.

Imola, just a short drive from Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters, is a track steeped in the team’s history, and any misstep feels magnified in front of their passionate home crowd.

Adding to the team’s woes, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s blockbuster signing for 2025, delivered a bombshell during media interactions. The seven-time world champion admitted that he had underestimated the challenge of transitioning from Mercedes, where he spent 12 years and won six titles, to Ferrari. “I anticipated it would be tough, but I just didn’t know how tough it was going to be,” Hamilton confessed. This rare moment of vulnerability from the 40-year-old driver underscores the difficulties he has faced in adapting to the Ferrari SF-25, a car that has been plagued by inconsistencies this season. Hamilton’s best finish so far is a fifth place in Bahrain, and he currently languishes in seventh in the drivers’ standings, 90 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Hamilton’s struggles were laid bare during Friday’s practice sessions at Imola. While he showed promise in FP1, finishing fifth and just a tenth off Piastri’s pace, his performance dipped in FP2, where he slumped to 11th. Over team radio, Hamilton expressed frustration with the car’s brakes, describing their performance as a “lottery.” He later elaborated to the media, revealing that the brake issues were a new problem he had “never faced” this season. This admission is particularly concerning given Ferrari’s ongoing battle with brake-related woes, which both Hamilton and Leclerc have flagged as a significant hurdle. Leclerc, for his part, described the brakes as “horrendous” during FP2, highlighting the team’s struggle to find a consistent setup.

The timing of Ferrari’s challenges couldn’t be worse. After a strong end to the 2024 season and the high-profile arrival of Hamilton, expectations were lofty for 2025. Many anticipated that Ferrari would challenge for both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles, but six races into the season, they sit a distant fourth in the constructors’ standings, 152 points behind McLaren. The team’s lackluster performance in Miami, where Hamilton finished eighth and Leclerc seventh, underscored their inability to keep pace with frontrunners like McLaren, who have dominated with Piastri’s three consecutive wins.

Despite the setbacks, Hamilton remains optimistic about Ferrari’s long-term prospects. He urged fans to take a broader view, stating, “Let’s talk at the end of my career here at Ferrari, after a few years. That’s when we can judge whether we were successful.” This measured perspective reflects his determination to work through the current challenges, even as he navigates a car that former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley described as having a “loose rear end” that doesn’t suit Hamilton’s driving style. Smedley’s analysis suggests that the SF-25’s handling characteristics are a key factor in Hamilton’s struggles, a technical issue that Ferrari must address to unlock their drivers’ potential.

Ferrari has introduced minor upgrades for Imola, with a more significant package planned for the Spanish Grand Prix in June. Team principal Fred Vasseur has downplayed the immediate impact of the Imola updates, calling them “a small step.” However, with the team under intense scrutiny, these upgrades will be critical in determining whether Ferrari can salvage their 2025 campaign or shift focus to the 2026 season, when new regulations could reset the competitive order.

As qualifying looms, all eyes are on Ferrari to see if they can overcome their technical and performance hurdles. Hamilton’s candid admission and the team’s penalty have added fuel to an already fiery weekend, but the tifosi remain hopeful that their beloved Scuderia can rise to the occasion. For now, Ferrari’s Imola story is one of resilience in the face of adversity, with Hamilton’s determination and Leclerc’s grit at the heart of their fight.